Sparrow Swamp Baptist Church, located at 3234 South Hill Road, eight miles south of Timmonsville, SC, was constituted as a church on November 27, 1892.  For one hundred and fifteen years she has been faithful in communicating the Good News of Jesus Christ.  The following history is adapted from A Century of Service: A History of Sparrow Swamp Baptist Church, 1892-1992, written by Anna Sibley Kirby Anderson.

            Prior to 1888, Sparrow Swamp community was in Darlington County between Sparrow Swamp and Lake Swamp.  Neighboring communities were formed because barriers of travel kept them divided.  

In 1889, twelve of the member churches of the Welch Neck Baptist Association initiated the process of requesting dismissal to form the Florence Baptist Association.  These churches shared common doctrinal beliefs and practices.  In practice, they wanted to share mutual encouragement, unified planning, and group participation in all their fields of endeavor.  Several of these churches were in close proximity to the Sparrow Swamp community.  They were Ebenezer, Elim, Sardis, Peniel, and Timmonsville First Baptist.  However there was a problem.  When the swamps flooded, one could not get across to attend church.  Traveling was extremely limited as this section between Sparrow Swamp and Lake Swamp was shut off from outside contact, except for two fords crossing Lake Swamp and one road crossing Sparrow Swamp.

Around 1891, Miss Hattie Oliver took matters into her own hands and began an afternoon Sunday School at the home of her father, about seven and one-half miles from Timmonsville.  The young people came to sing and have Bible study.  Most of them walked.  As interest grew, Miss Oliver asked Reverend W. E. (Billy) Hicks to come help her.  In order to come, he had to cut trees for foot logs across Sparrow Swamp.  Due to the large number attending, it was decided that further meetings be held in the one-room Anderson School.

In the fall of 1892, Reverend Hicks held a protracted meeting, assisted by the Reverend Russell Hill.  There was a great outpouring of the Spirit and thirteen converts were received on profession of faith.  From this handful of converts emerged Sparrow Swamp Baptist Church.

On November 27, 1892, this body of Baptists met at Anderson School and organized as Sparrow Swamp Baptist Church.  The church covenant was adopted at that time.    

The charter members constituted a thirty-foot building with a steeple and called Reverend Hicks as their first pastor.  Brother Hicks served the church as pastor until 1899, laboring under great difficulties, including walking across Sparrow Swamp on “foot logs.”              

A total of eighteen pastors have guided the church in maintaining fully graded programs in Sunday School, Discipleship Training, Missions, and Music.  Each pastor has used his own style of leadership and personality to shape and mold Sparrow Swamp Baptist Church into what she is today.

God has blessed Sparrow Swamp with a proud past, and there is a promise of a fertile future, as she continues to follow His guidance.  The heart of Sparrow Swamp is missions and ministry.  Currently, twenty-two percent of all undesignated offerings go to the Cooperative Program to support missions work.  Also, three percent goes toward the work of the Florence Baptist Association, with an additional two percent supporting work in China, and another one percent supporting the Baptist Collegiate Ministry of Francis Marion University.  

Sparrow Swamp is involved in “hands on” missions work – locally, nationally, and internationally.  In the past twelve years, mission trips to West Virginia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Virginia, Brazil, Romania, Taiwan, and China have been completed.  

Since 1997, in cooperation with the association and several other churches, Sparrow Swamp has sponsored a Chinese ministry to proclaim God’s message of love and salvation.